Seven Partners, One Platform. Keepital's Startup Pavilion at WOCEE 2026

 

Keepital Philippines brings together six of the country's most promising startups, and a powerhouse IP institution, for a dedicated showcase at the World of Consumer Electronics Expo this August. The World of Consumer Electronics Expo (WOCEE) has long been the Philippines' most significant gathering of technology companies, manufacturers, and industry decision-makers. This August 5 to 8 at the SMX Convention Center Manila, it returns with more than 33,200 expected visitors, over 110 exhibitors, and 15,000 square meters of exhibit space. This year, Keepital Philippines is adding a new dimension to the expo. Under the dedicated Startup Pavilion, Keepital is bringing six carefully selected startups to the WOCEE floor and providing each one a curated platform to present their products, connect with buyers and investors, and reach the scale they deserve.

The Exhibitors

Ateneo Intellectual Property Office (AIPO)

Anchoring the pavilion is the Ateneo de Manila University's Intellectual Property Office, an institution dedicated to fostering innovation, research commercialization, and startup development within one of the Philippines' most respected academic ecosystems. (aipo.ateneo.edu)

KLARO

KLARO is a sales and inventory platform built for cooperatives and small Filipino businesses that still run on handwritten logbooks. Its AI-powered OCR engine photographs a logbook and extracts line items, quantities, and totals in under 30 seconds, feeding the results into a dashboard that gives agri-terminals and consolidation hubs real-time visibility over volumes, buyer accounts, and payment status. With partners including the Nueva Vizcaya Agricultural Terminal, Quezon City's Pangkabuhayang Program, and Ateneo BUILD already on board, KLARO represents a compelling intersection of AI capability and real-economy application. (meetklaro.com)

a11y media

Formerly known as Wika, a11y media is a Filipino startup working for the social and economic inclusion of people with disabilities, democratizing accessibility for the deaf, hard of hearing, and Filipino Sign Language (FSL) interpreters through assistive content such as sign language videos, captions, and audio descriptions. Co-founded in 2018, a11y's platform functions similarly to YouTube but exclusively for accessible content, and empowers anyone to upload their own sign language videos and captions, with 70% of FSL interpreters on the platform being women.The only Philippine startup selected out of 800 applicants across Asia for the Real Madrid Next Accelerator, a11y arrives at WOCEE with both global recognition and a mission that sits at the intersection of technology and genuine social impact. (a11y.media/wika)

Domantay Consulting 

Not every pavilion participant is a tech product company, and that is precisely the point. Founded in 2018, Domantay Consulting (DC Digital) is a holistic digital consultancy offering public relations, social media management, digital marketing, and creative multimedia production. A cross-generational team of PR, media, marketing, and fine arts professionals, DC Digital brings something every technology company eventually needs at WOCEE: the expertise to communicate what they build in a way the market can actually hear. (domantayconsulting.com) 

Vaura

Vaura enters the pavilion as an AI-powered content engine built for businesses that need to produce content at scale without sacrificing quality or brand consistency. In a market where content demand is outpacing the capacity of most in-house teams, Vaura offers a smarter production pipeline where it generates output that is faster to produce and easier to manage across channels. At WOCEE, Vaura's presence speaks directly to the exhibitors, distributors, and brand teams on the floor who are looking for more efficient ways to keep their content working as hard as their products do. (vaura.io) 

BetterClinic

BetterClinic is an AI ambient scribe built for medical practitioners: it listens during a consultation and automatically generates SOAP notes, prescriptions, medical certificates, PhilHealth claims abstracts, and ICD-10/RVS coding. No EHR, no setup, no typing required. Its transcription engine handles mixed-language speech, local medication names, and the accents and dialects Filipino patients bring into the room, and is built in full compliance with the Philippine Data Privacy Act. For a country with a large and geographically dispersed medical workforce, a tool that runs on a smartphone and requires no institutional integration is not a luxury but a practical necessity. (betterclinic.ai)

SOFI AI

SOFI AI automates customer engagement for Philippine SMEs, most of which rely on Facebook Messenger, Instagram DMs, and comment sections to drive sales. Its platform delivers 24/7 chat responses, smart sales assistance, multilingual support, and automated data collection across Facebook, Instagram, Shopify, Telegram, and more, adapting to each brand's tone and personality. A member of the NVIDIA Inception Program and a selected participant in Google for Startups, SOFI AI brings a proposition at WOCEE that is immediately relevant to the SME owners, brand managers, and distributors walking the expo floor. (sofitech.ai) 

The Startup Pavilion is a deliberate cross-section of where Philippine technology is heading. AI applied to agriculture, healthcare, customer engagement, brand communications, workforce development, and the infrastructure beneath all of it. What WOCEE provides is the kind of audience that normally takes years to reach. The pavilion compresses that timeline.

For anyone attending WOCEE this August, the Startup Pavilion is worth the detour. Come with questions. The founders will be there to answer them.

Happening from August 5–8, at the SMX Convention Center Manila. Register now at https://register.worldbexevents.com/registration and get ready to explore this show of innovation.

Learn more at wocee.ph 

About KEEP Pte Ltd.

Keepital was established in 2013 and has now grown into Southeast Asia’s Leading Industrial B2B marketplace that facilitates connections between suppliers and buyers worldwide through our online platform. They stand out with their highly competitive pricing and offer a comprehensive range of services beyond just product listings. Their advertising options are designed for affordability and simplicity, featuring a one-time payment and low renewal fees for product and service suppliers on our online portal.

 

Carziqo Expands ER-MX Autonomous Ride-Hailing Operations to San Francisco

 

The company says the new deployment will test how autonomous mobility services can operate safely and efficiently in one of the United States’ most complex urban transportation environments.

Autonomous mobility technology company Carziqo has announced the expansion of its ER-MX series driverless ride-hailing operations to San Francisco, marking the latest stage in the company’s effort to build a broader intelligent transportation network across major urban markets.

According to Carziqo, the San Francisco deployment will introduce ER-MX autonomous vehicles into selected operating areas through a phased rollout. The company said the initial stage will focus on controlled service zones, system validation, real-time fleet supervision, and the collection of operational data under different traffic and road conditions.

San Francisco is widely regarded as one of the most demanding environments for autonomous driving systems. Its steep streets, dense neighborhoods, frequent pedestrian activity, cyclists, public transportation vehicles, construction zones, and rapidly changing traffic conditions present challenges that are difficult to reproduce in closed testing facilities.

Carziqo CEO Zaydenn Harrington said the city offers an important opportunity to evaluate the ER-MX platform in a complex real-world environment.

“San Francisco represents more than a new market for Carziqo. It is an environment where autonomous mobility systems must demonstrate awareness, adaptability, and disciplined decision-making every day,” Harrington said in a company statement.

“Our objective is not simply to place vehicles on the road. We want to develop a mobility service that can respond intelligently to urban complexity while maintaining safety, operational transparency, and a consistent passenger experience,” he added.

A New Test for the ER-MX Platform

The ER-MX series is positioned by Carziqo as an intelligent executive mobility platform designed for urban passenger transportation. The vehicles are expected to use a combination of cameras, radar, positioning systems, high-definition mapping, and artificial intelligence-based decision-making to identify road users, interpret traffic conditions, plan routes, and respond to changing situations.

Carziqo said its autonomous driving system continuously processes information from multiple sensors rather than relying on a single source of data. This sensor-fusion approach is intended to help the vehicle compare environmental signals, identify potential hazards, and make more reliable driving decisions.

The company also said the vehicles will be connected to a centralized fleet management system capable of monitoring vehicle status, route progress, system alerts, and service performance. Remote operations personnel may review unusual situations and provide operational support when necessary, although the company emphasized that the autonomous driving system remains responsible for routine navigation and driving decisions within approved operating conditions.

The San Francisco operation is expected to begin gradually. Carziqo said it intends to assess vehicle performance before expanding service coverage or increasing the number of vehicles available to passengers.

Safety and Regulatory Compliance

As autonomous ride-hailing services become more visible in American cities, questions surrounding road safety, regulatory compliance, cybersecurity, passenger protection, and responsibility during unexpected incidents remain central to public discussion.

Carziqo said its San Francisco operations will follow applicable transportation and autonomous vehicle requirements. The company added that the ER-MX deployment will use predefined operational boundaries covering factors such as geography, road type, weather conditions, vehicle speed, and system capability.

Harrington said expansion would be based on demonstrated performance rather than aggressive deployment targets.

“Autonomous mobility must earn public confidence through measurable performance,” he said. “Every expansion decision should be supported by operational evidence, safety reviews, and a clear understanding of the environment in which the vehicles will operate.”

The company said it will monitor disengagement events, route interruptions, passenger feedback, system warnings, and interactions with pedestrians, cyclists, emergency vehicles, and conventional drivers. Findings from the San Francisco deployment are expected to contribute to future software updates and operating policies for the wider ER-MX fleet.

Carziqo did not immediately disclose the size of the initial fleet, the complete service area, or the date when the service would become broadly available to the public.

Potential Impact on Urban Mobility

The launch comes as cities continue to explore alternatives to conventional private vehicle ownership and traditional ride-hailing operations. Autonomous mobility companies argue that centrally managed driverless fleets could eventually improve vehicle utilization, reduce service inconsistencies, and support more data-driven transportation planning.

However, autonomous vehicles must still prove that they can operate safely and predictably alongside human drivers and vulnerable road users. San Francisco’s traffic environment is expected to provide Carziqo with a substantial test of the ER-MX system’s ability to interpret complex street activity and respond to situations that may not follow standard traffic patterns.

Carziqo said the service is being developed as part of a connected mobility ecosystem rather than as a standalone vehicle program. Through centralized scheduling and fleet coordination, the company expects the ER-MX platform to analyze demand patterns, assign vehicles more efficiently, optimize routes, and reduce unnecessary vehicle movement.

The company also believes that information generated by autonomous fleets could eventually help operators better understand congestion, service demand, vehicle maintenance requirements, and transportation accessibility.

Building Public Trust

Public acceptance remains one of the most significant challenges facing autonomous transportation. Beyond technical performance, passengers must understand how a driverless service works, what protections are in place, and how assistance can be requested during a journey.

Carziqo said the ER-MX passenger experience will include trip information, vehicle identification, service-status updates, and access to customer support. The company also plans to provide clearer public communication regarding vehicle capabilities and operational limitations as the rollout progresses.

“Trust cannot be created through technology alone,” Harrington said. “It requires transparency, responsible operations, and a willingness to communicate openly with passengers, regulators, communities, and other road users.”

The company said community feedback will be considered as it evaluates potential changes to service areas and operating schedules.

Part of a Wider Expansion Strategy

The San Francisco launch forms part of Carziqo’s wider strategy to deploy autonomous mobility services in cities with different transportation patterns and operating conditions. By comparing performance across multiple markets, the company aims to develop a more adaptable system capable of responding to different road designs, passenger behaviors, traffic rules, and local mobility requirements.

For Carziqo, operating in San Francisco could serve as an important technical and commercial milestone. Success in the city would not only demonstrate the ER-MX platform’s ability to navigate a demanding urban environment, but could also provide operational insights for future expansion.

The company said further details concerning passenger access, operating zones, service schedules, and fleet availability will be released through its official channels.

As the autonomous mobility sector moves from controlled trials toward real passenger services, Carziqo’s San Francisco deployment will be closely watched as another test of whether driverless ride-hailing technology can deliver safe, practical, and scalable transportation in complex cities.

78% of Filipinos Use AI at Work Daily — Only 35% Are Trained For It, Sprout Study Finds

 Close to 500 HR leaders and executives filled Dusit Thani Manila on July 8, 2026 for the State of HR Summit 2026, Sprout Solutions' flagship event on the future of work. Held to full capacity under the theme Leading a People-First AI Transformation, the summit explored how organizations can use AI to accelerate performance while keeping people at the center of change.

AI Is Operational, Not Experimental

Sprout Chief Operating Officer Kislay Chandra opened with the reframing that ran through the day: "The question is no longer whether AI will reshape work, it's how leaders choose to shape that transformation," he said. "The organizations that win will be the ones that combine human capability and AI well."

The State of HR 2026 Report: AI & the Filipino Workforce, a nationwide study of 3,500+ employees across 13 industries, backed him up: 78% of Filipino employees now use AI daily, with higher use associated with more output, less stress, and greater recognition. Yet only 35% receive role-specific AI training: a clear gap between AI adoption and enablement.

Reframing the Human Side of AI

In the opening keynote, Cliff Eala, CEO of BS Works, argued that a people-first approach prioritizes augmentation over automation. "AI skills on their own are useful," he said, "but it becomes far more valuable when you pair it with real domain expertise." Leaders, he added, must actively redesign jobs around the moving line between what should be automated and what should be augmented, and make upskilling and reskilling role-specific rather than generic.

His sharpest point was complementarity: AI skill matters most when paired with genuine domain expertise. He also warned that outsourcing too much thinking to AI can erode the human judgment that experience builds. "We often don’t have complete, accurate, and timely information. This absence breeds uncertainty, which begs for judgment. And this is exactly where the human is needed.”

From Strategy to Adoption

In Five Shifts Defining the AI-Native Workplace, moderated by Maria Lourdes Ann Cruz of Lufthansa Technik Philippines with Dannah Majarocon of Jobstreet by SEEK, Alvanson So, former Regional People Lead for Canva, and Marvin Zoilo of Tech Mahindra, panelists named a familiar Philippine tension: many workers are fluent in mobile and social media but still underuse AI for real work, making AI adoption less about access and more about demonstrating practical value.

That thread continued in Operationalizing AI: Aligning People, Process, and Performance, moderated by Firdausi Ismail II Abbas of Acquire Intelligence with panelists from CIMB Bank, Booth, and MindYou. Their core message: employee buy-in is the real bottleneck. Leaders can set direction, but adoption fails if people cannot see how AI helps in their own work.

Making Adoption Stick

In Your Team Has AI. Now What?, Mia Cuenco, Director for Human Resources at Smartsourcing, argued that people create value while AI amplifies capacity. She framed transformation as the alignment of leadership, people, process, platforms, and AI around a clear purpose, stressed that work should be redesigned before it is automated, and challenged the room to ask not how AI can replace work, but how it can enrich people.

Sprout's Francis Peña, Commercial Director, then led the roadmap session, Building an AI-Ready Workplace for 2026 and Beyond. Anchoring the demo in the question "What is your why?", Peña showed how Sprout's people-first AI platform connects payroll, compliance, performance, and people data, including Sidekick, Sprout HR's AI assistant built to answer employee questions on payslips, compliance, and products, and the Command Center that lets HR admins orchestrate multiple functions in one place; Foresight, Sprout's new AI-powered predictive and prescriptive HR analytics solution; and Comply, its compliance solution built to keep pace with evolving Philippine labor and tax regulations.

Peña also walked through Sprout's two performance management solutions: Sprout Perform, an add-on to Sprout HR that digitizes the full appraisal cycle from KPI scoring to digital signatures; and Perform Pro, powered by Peoplebox.ai, which adds AI-supported reviews, OKR alignment, and 360 feedback.

What Leaders Must Do Differently

The leadership panels sharpened the human angle. In Leading Human Performance in an AI-Driven Workplace, moderated by Eli Harell of EmergePH with May Manaog of IQ-EQ, Julian Mengual of Medicard Philippines, and Airon Caraullo of KMC, speakers agreed the old expectation for leaders to know everything is obsolete; judgment, curiosity, accountability, and the ability to bring people together now matter more.

In Mission-critical Skills, Roles, and Teams for the Next Era, moderated by Atty. Arlene De Castro with Cliff Eala, Fleire Castro of DashoContent, and Dr. Raymond Sarmiento of mWell, the panel noted that AI can compress teams but must not lower the bar for quality, and that competitive edge comes from orchestrating AI well. Sustained upskilling and reskilling, they added, is what keeps the Filipino workforce competitive as roles are redesigned.

Recognizing People-First Workplaces

The summit debuted the inaugural Sprout Foresight Awards, powered by Foresight, Sprout's new AI-powered predictive and prescriptive HR analytics solution. Headlined by the Great Employer Awards, the recognition honored organizations demonstrating workforce health and people-first workplace practices in the Philippines. Closing the day, Sprout’s Chief Marketing Officer, Renzo Belardo, returned to the summit's core conviction: technology may change how work gets done, but people shape what comes next. “The challenge isn't adopting AI, it's helping people adopt a new way of working: every organization will eventually have similar AI capabilities, so the real differentiator will be leadership, the willingness to learn, and the courage to bring people along,” he concluded.

Powered by Partners

The State of HR Summit 2026 was powered by Sprout Solutions and BS Works, with support from platinum sponsors mWell and Singlife; gold sponsors Hubstaff, MetroMart, Xoxoday, and Medicard; and silver sponsor Hive Health. Strategic partners included the Philippine Society for Talent Development (PSTD), MindYou, the British Chamber of Commerce Philippines (BCCP), Plan International, World Vision, IHRI, and RCBC x DiskarTech.

About Sprout Solutions Phil Inc

Sprout Solutions is the People-First AI platform for payroll, compliance, and work, serving businesses across the Philippines and Southeast Asia. Founded in 2015, Sprout combines AI-powered payroll, HR, recruitment, performance management, employee engagement, and financial wellness solutions into one intelligent platform designed to help organizations operate more efficiently while supporting their people at scale. Trusted by more than 2,000 companies and 350,000 users, Sprout complements its technology with managed services, implementation expertise, and dedicated customer success teams. Sprout exists to impact the lives of employees by improving businesses in the communities it serves.

Casino Plus Drives Digital Media Innovation with Multi-Week Vertical Drama 'Bathala’

 

MANILA, PHILIPPINES, 13 JULY 2026 — Casino Plus, one of the country’s leading responsible digital entertainment platforms licensed by the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR), continues to lead innovation as it debuts Bathala, a premium vertical short-form drama series based on one of its leading games of the same name.

The first episode, launched on July 9, 2026, already has nearly 80,000 views on social media, positioning the gaming platform at the forefront of the region's digital media evolution. Casino Plus also converted the traditional Filipino teleserye (television soap opera) format into the trend of AI micro-content built specifically for mobile-first consumers.

Following its initial premiere, the platform confirmed that Bathala will execute a continuous three-week broadcast run throughout July 2026. This fast-paced digital rollout features a second installment this week and a final sequel chapter dropping in consecutive weeks, ensuring a highly engaged audience throughout the month.

The series modernizes ancient Tagalog mythology, following the reincarnation of the Moon Goddess Mayari. In a narrative twist that connects traditional folklore with modern digital ecosystems, the plot follows her journey to adapt the supreme deity Bathala's legendary "Great Formation" into a digital game format.

For decades, teleseryes or telenovelas dominated primetime Filipino households. However, shifting consumer habits and rapid mobile penetration have driven a massive migration toward ultra-short, premium vertical video. Audiences now demand high-quality storytelling accessible directly on their smartphones.

With the digital series launch, Casino Plus bridges the gap between cultural storytelling and digital entertainment, creating a new commercial model for regional content deployment.

"The local entertainment market is evolving rapidly from long-form television toward premium, short-form vertical reels," said Evan Spytma, CEO of Casino Plus. "With Bathala, we are driving this transition by pairing cinema-grade production with mobile-first distribution. This approach delivers culturally relevant storytelling that aligns with how modern audiences consume media."

The digital series features actors Zonia Mejia as Mayari, Gary Guarino as Dumangan, and Lea Macapagal as one of the deities. 

The next episode will drop on Thursday, July 16.  

RESPONSIBLE GAMING ADVISORY

In accordance with PAGCOR’s Responsible Gaming Code of Practice, Casino Plus wishes to remind all players of the following:

Gaming is for entertainment purposes only. It should not be considered a source of income or a means of financial relief. Players are encouraged to play responsibly and within their means.

Winning is never guaranteed. All gaming outcomes are determined by chance. Past results, including jackpot wins, do not influence or predict future outcomes.

About IGO Digital High Technology, Inc.

Casino Plus is a trusted online casino platform in the Philippines, duly licensed and regulated by the PAGCOR. The company is committed to providing a secure, fair, and engaging digital entertainment experience, guided by the principles of responsible gaming and player protection. With its continuous expansion, Casino Plus is now regarded as one of the country’s leading online casino platforms, combining entertainment excellence with meaningful corporate social responsibility initiatives.